Spiced lamb and apricot plaited pie
Serves: 6
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Spiced lamb and apricot plaited pie
Baharat spice mix, an aromatic blend of ground black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cloves and more, originated in Turkey and the Middle East. Combined with sweet pops of apricot and juicy lamb it gives a fragrant, exotic deliciousness to this easy-to-serve pie
Serves: 6
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (serving)
Calories
599Kcal
Fat
40gr
Saturates
16gr
Carbs
33gr
Sugars
8gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
26gr
Salt
0.9gr
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp baharat
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 80g dried apricots
- 1 x 500g pack 20% fat lamb mince
- 45g dried breadcrumbs
- 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
- small handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 x 320g pack ready- rolled puff pastry
- ½ tsp nigella seeds
To serve
- wilted winter greens and steamed Tenderstem broccoli
- condiments of your choice, such as mint sauce, redcurrant sauce or English mustard
Step by step
Get ahead
Assemble the sausage plait up to 24 hours before baking. Or, wrap the assembled roll well and freeze. Defrost in the fridge, then glaze, decorate and bake as instructed in Step 4.
- Put the pine nuts in a frying pan or sauté pan and toast over a low heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate. Increase the heat, add the oil to the pan and cook the onion with a large pinch of salt, for about 15 minutes, until caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the baharat and chilli flakes, seasoning well. Set aside to cool.
- While the onion mixture is cooling, put the apricots in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes, then drain, pat dry with kitchen paper and finely chop. Add to a medium bowl with the lamb, toasted pine nuts, cooled onion, breadcrumbs, half the beaten egg and the mint. Season well and mix everything together until well combined.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Unroll the pastry on a work surface and mound the mince mixture down the centre in a long sausage shape that only covers one-third of the pastry. Use a small knife to make diagonal cuts in the pastry down either side of the lamb filling. Fold in the pastry strips alternately to create a plaited look, and seal the ends.
-
Brush with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle over the nigella seeds. Bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed and deeply golden. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving with the green veg and your choice of condiments.
*Check your pastry is dairy-free, if required.
